Owen Farrell set to return from injury for Saracens after four months out

Owen Farrell is primed to make his rugby return on Saturday for Saracens after a four-month absence. The England captain missed the entire Six Nations campaign following surgery on his right ankle but has spent the last two weeks training with his teammates. Barring another “freak injury” – as the England head coach, Eddie Jones, labelled the last one – Farrell should be in contention for his first game since November.

“We will assess him tomorrow and Friday and make sure everything is OK,” the Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, said. “Fingers crossed he will be able to take part in the game.

“He is obviously a great player, everyone knows that. For him personally it is great as well, he loves playing rugby and he has not played much. If he does play he is certainly looking forward to it and we are chuffed to have him back.”

Saracens play Bristol at Tottenham Stadium as they look to close the 12-point gap between themselves and Leicester at the top of the Premiership table. More than 40,000 tickets have already been sold, according to the club’s press officer. Those in attendance will likely see a formidable Saracens team as McCall said that all of his England returnees are available for selection as well.

One of them is the hooker Jamie George, who will play his 250th game for the club. Another is the 23-year-old lock Nick Isiekwe, who resurrected his international career in the Six Nations this year after a four-year hiatus.

“Nick got capped early, maybe on reflection a bit too early, and had a couple of difficult experiences, especially away in South Africa when he played there,” McCall said, referencing England’s 42-39 defeat in Johannesburg in 2018. “He’s 23 now and much more ready for it. He is on top of his